NEW YORK—Major League Baseball announced its All-Star Game rosters Sunday afternoon, and the American League squad will include three Blue Jays.

Outfielder Jose Bautista and Vernon Wells and catcher John Buck were all voted into the game by their fellow players and each will participate in the July 13 classic as a reserve.

This is Wells’ third all-star appearance and the first for both Bautista and Buck.

For Wells, the all-star selection acknowledges how completely he has rebounded from his worst season as a pro.

The 32-year-old made all-star teams in 2003 and 2006, years that bookended the most successful span of his career. Over that stretch he averaged 29 home runs a year, batted over .300 twice and won two Gold Gloves.

But last season he hit just .260 with 15 home runs, his lowest homer total since he became a full-time major-leaguer in 2002.

Off-season wrist surgery seemed to restore his stroke, and he currently ranks fourth in the AL with 19 home runs.

All players in the majors trail Bautista and his 21 homers. His recent struggles are no secret. After blasting 16 home runs in the first two months of the season, Bautista hit only four in all of June — and two came on the same night against the Yankees.

Still, as a former utility player, his versatility is an asset in the late innings, and reclaiming the major-league home run lead with a two-run shot on Saturday afternoon made ignoring him that much more difficult him as players cast their ballots.

Bautista, though, still isn’t sure if he’ll participate in the home run derby.

“It will be a lot of pressure on you. It’s a big stage,” he joked. “Plus, I’m not really a home run hitter during batting practice. I hit more line drives than anything.”

Buck, meanwhile, finished second among AL catchers in player voting but joins the all-star team because the top vote-getter, Boston’s Victor Martinez, is injured.

Through 2009 Buck had never batted higher than .247 and never hit more than 18 home runs, but so far this year he’s hitting .271 and leads all major league catchers in homers (13) and RBIs (40).

To attend the All-Star Game in Anaheim he had to cancel a trip with his wife to Niagara Falls.

“Hopefully she forgives me,” he said.

The Jays haven’t placed this many players on an all-star team since 2006, when Wells, Alex Rios, Roy Halladay, B.J. Ryan and Troy Glaus all qualified.

Last season, Halladay and second baseman Aaron Hill were all-star starters.

More on thestar.com

We value respectful and thoughtful discussion. Readers are encouraged to flag comments that fail to meet the standards outlined in our
Community Code of Conduct.
For further information, including our legal guidelines, please see our full website
Terms and Conditions.